The IU Columbus Crimson Pride baseball and softball programs are extending their facilities partnership with Ohio Valley Sports Production at Ceraland Sports Complex, continuing a three-year partnership.

Officials say that the collaboration has transformed the baseball and softball diamonds at Ceraland into state-of-the-art facilities that serve both organizations’ needs while benefiting the broader Columbus sports community.

Ohio Valley Sports Productions’ Joey Rollins says they have “created a solid playing environment that benefits both our organizations and the entire Columbus baseball and softball community.”

Improvements to the Ceraland facilities, include enhanced playing surfaces and field maintenance, as well as new scoreboards on two diamonds.

State Road 250 in Jackson County will be closing in April while contractors replace a culvert.

According to INDOT, crews will be closing the highway near Uniontown, between South Jackson County Road 1025 East and U.S. 31. The official detour will take U.S. 31 to U.S. 50 to State Road 11.

The work is scheduled to start on Monday, April 7th and is expected to last through mid May. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

Force Construction Company is the contractor for the $1.3 million contract.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be extra alert to worker safety in all workzones.

The city of Columbus is moving forward with nearly $3.8 million of improvements along Deaver Road.

This week the Columbus Redevelopment Commission approved a contract with Bowen Engineering this week for the project at maximum price of $3.79 million. Of that $3.2 million would be for construction of nearly a mile of sanitary sewers, along with storm piping and road repairs for the sewer work.

Heather Pope, director of the city’s redevelopment department said that the improvements are needed for the ongoing construction of the new Toyota Material Handling plant on the road.

The company is planning a nearly $100 million expansion, adding a 295,000 square foot plant that would start production in June of next year adding 85 jobs here initially.

Pope said the city’s road improvements for the new factory will happen later in the project’s development.

Rendering courtesy of Toyota Material Handling

An Ohio man has been arrested, accused of trying to cash a fake check at a local bank.

According to the Columbus Police Department, officers were called the bank on 25th Street at about 2:33 p.m. in the afternoon Wednesday about the man trying to cash a fraudulent check for almost $2,000. When police arrived, they say he took off running.

He was quickly captured and found to be 48-year-old Edward Seabolt of Columbus, Ohio who was wanted on counterfeiting and other warrants from Indiana and Ohio. After being checked out at the hospital, Seabolt was arrested on preliminary charges of forgery and resisting law enforcement, along with the outstanding warrants.

The Columbus Fire Department has added a new civilian fire inspector position to help keep up with the community’s growth and the demands for inspection services.

According to the department, Drew Baldwin is the first civilian fire inspector. Baldwin, originally from Whiteland, obtained his Fire Inspector certification in 2023 and worked part-time as a Fire Inspector with the Greenwood Fire Department before joining CFD. Previously, Baldwin was a sworn Firefighter with the Shelbyville Fire Department. Baldwin also holds a Fire Investigator certification.

He will join the two sworn fire inspectors in the department conducting fire and life safety building inspections and will eventually work with them on fire investigations.

Fire inspectors search for fire hazards in buildings, recommend prevention measures, ensure compliance with state and local fire regulations and provide education to enhance safety within the community.

Last year, Columbus had 1,869 buildings that required inspections. The Department conducted 952 on-site inspection visits which included 201 inspections of established buildings and 284 inspections of new construction or remodels. Many of those required multiple visits from inspectors.

Columbus Fire Chief Andy Lay said that adding an additional inspector was a necessity to keep up with growth in the community and ensure safety. He said “Increasing our inspection capabilities simply gets us in more doors and if needed, our inspectors can work with property owners to address concerns or code violations.

The Columbus Area Visitors Center will be hosting a book signing and opening of an exhibition of the work of architect Marlon Blackwell today. Blackwell is designing the new airport tower at the Columbus Municipal Airport.

Marlon Blackwell Architects is an award-winning design firm based in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

A monograph of Blackwell’s work was published in 2022 by Princeton Architectural Press called “Radical Practice: The Work of Marlon Blackwell Architects.” The exhibition will focus on the body of work in that publication. It will also include process drawings and a physical model of the new Columbus tower, offering an inside look at the design evolution of this project.

Blackwell will also hold a brief talk on what a radical practice can mean in contemporary architecture. It will focus on his firm’s design methodology combining dynamic analysis, thoughtful planning and innovative design.

The opening event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. this evening at the Columbus Area Visitors Center on Fifth Street.

You can stop by the visitors center to view the exhibition from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

Photos: Marlon Blackwell unveils the design for the new Columbus Municipal Airport Tower in June 2024. WRB photos

Crews are about to start on a major construction project on U.S. 31 in Franklin.

According To INDOT, work will begin on Tuesday a $66.2 million intersection improvement project in Johnson County. The first phase will rehabilitate a bridge and replace a box culvert over Canary Ditch in Franklin. That is going to be between Acorn Drive and Schoolhouse Road. Northbound and southbound traffic on U.S. 31 will be reduced to one lane while a cross over is constructed. The culvert work will be done in two phases, with traffic crossing over while each half is completed. That work is going on through early August.

A second phase is expected to start in late April, with intersection improvements on U.S. 31 at Nineveh Road and Franklin Lakes Boulevard. This work is expected to be complete in late November.

Milestone will be the contractor for the project, which is expected to continue through 2028. The work schedules are dependent on the weather.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be extra alert to worker safety in all work zones.

Forecasters say that we are in for some wet weather over the next few days and possibly severe storms tonight and Sunday.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says that central Indiana will be mostly cloudy and rainy today, with storms moving in tonight. The biggest threat tonight could be small hail and strong winds. Winds will pick up on Friday with more rain and thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. There is a threat of severe thunderstorms on Sunday

The high temperatures should be in the 70s by this weekend.

A Columbus man has been arrested after he drove into a sheriff’s department vehicle Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy J.D. Myers was in his patrol vehicle stopped at the intersection of 10th Street and Whitfield Drive, when he was rear-ended at about 3 p.m. in the afternoon.

There was no damage to either vehicle and no one was injured. The other driver told the deputy that his foot slipped off the brake, causing the collision. But while filling out paperwork about the crash, the deputy noticed the man throw a plastic baggie under his vehicle.

When confronted, the man denied having any knowledge of the bag. A test of the contents revealed fentanyl and the driver, identified as 69-year-old David Caldwell was taken into custody.

A search of his vehicle recovered a pipe for smoking narcotics as well as a firearm. Police also discovered he was carrying drugs on him.

Caldwell was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing drug paraphernalia and narcotics while also in possession of a firearm.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce recognized community residents with awards at its annual meeting including a married couple who received the prestigious Community Service Award.

The chamber held its 116th annual meeting at The Commons Wednesday with more than 400 people in attendance.

Among those recognized with awards were Don and Shirley Trapp who received the Community Service Award. The Business Excellence Award went to Viewpoint Books. The Crump Theatre and Project Encore, which brought the theater back to life, were recognized as the Community Project of the Year.

Jim Pfaffenberger of Columbus North High School, was recognized as the recipient of this year’s Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award.

The keynote speaker at the event was Scott McKain, a former WCSI personality and now national business speaker.

Photo: Don and Shirley Trapp speak after receiving the Community Service Award at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting Wednesday afternoon. WRB photo